Yellow Green Farmer’s Market

Scott and I checked out the infamous Yellow Green Farmer’s Market in Hollywood, FL last month and it was amazing!

This market was packed with food vendors, fruit & vegetable stands and local crafts & clothing vendors. If you are looking for fresh fruit and veggies, this is the place. There are vendors, both indoor and outdoor. Be prepared however, that the indoor space is not air conditioned, so it can be toasty.

Exotic Fruits

Scott and I want to do a YouTube episode trying different fruits (so stay tuned). The Yellow Green Farmer’s Market had so many different fruits and we had never heard of half of them.

If you’re not from Florida, you might not know about “green avocados”. These are HUGE avocados that make fantastic guacamole. However, we’ve been told they are not very good by themselves.

Unique Finds

I couldn’t resist this fella, who was relaxing while his owner was spinning wool. (Wool in Florida? I guess it gets chilly sometime.)

As we came around another isle, we stumbled up the Trattoria Di Vakis booth (#126-128). They only serve food at the market and outside catering. Check out these handmade pastas!

They also make these amazing donuts with an injector of filling! I was amazed that Scott resisted.

The Yellow Green Farmer’s Market is only open on Saturdays and Sundays. You do have to pay for parking and it’s a bit tricky getting into the parking lot. We ended up going around the block to get in. Originally it started out as a flea market and then became home to local producers and artisans in the community. They also feature a variety of events including live music, art & dance lessons and yoga.

My photos of our visit, really don’t do it justice! You can check out our YouTube episode for a full tour, but the best tour is in person.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to our blog and to our YouTube channel (link below). You can also follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. Next week we’ll take you to the Bahamas, as Ally made her first gulf stream crossing to Bimini! Cheers, Scott and Ally

November 14, 2021November 17, 2021

Tiny House Living

Moving aboard a boat is similar to tiny house living, so Scott and I decided to rent a tiny house for four days to test our survival. We found the tiny house on AirBnB, which is located on Henderson Inlet down by Olympia, WA.

Exploring Olympia

Scott and I arrived a few hours before check-in, so we spent part of the day exploring Olympia, including the Capital and the Port of Olympia.

From the capital, we headed over to Percival Landing to check out a seafood shop and the restaurants along the pier. The Olympia Seafood Co reminded us of Wild Salmon Seafood at Fisherman’s Terminal and they have a wonderful selection of fresh seafood!

Tiny House

The tiny house is just off of Slater-Keeney Road and you follow a long gravel driveway down to the property. The place was very serene and peaceful, which we desperately needed. In addition, this tiny house comes with a large hot tub! We estimate this tiny house was about 150sq feet!

It also came with three cats and Scott is allergic to cats. They belonged to the neighbor, but they were at our door the entire weekend.

The host has appointed this tiny home with everything you might need, from spices, pots and pans to robes and slippers! We even received a welcome basket with a bottle of bubbly.

Everything in the tiny house didn’t seem tiny. The bathroom was full size, along with the refrigerator and oven.

The living area was cozy with a comfy couch and an electric fireplace. For the best tour, be sure to check out the video below.

Best Part of the Tiny House

Above the bathroom, there is a loft that you access with a ladder. Thank God, that is not where you sleep. Instead, the bedroom is located at the end of the tiny house on the main floor.

The bedroom also had a very large closet, which is where we stored our suitcase.

Enjoying the evening

We put all of our food away and relaxed on the deck with a bottle of bubbly. The view is amazing and birds flock to the inlet. It was a very relaxing and peaceful afternoon.

Just around the corner from the tiny house is another airbnb in the form of a trailer!

That evening, we cooked up my homemade spaghetti sauce and enjoyed dinner with a great bottle of wine.

Tune in next week, as we kayak on Henderson Inlet, explore local trails and check out Swantown Marina. As always, thank you for following our journey! Please subscribe to our blog and vlog to stay updated with our search for a liveaboard boat. You can also follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. Until next time!

Cheers, Ally & Scott

August 18, 2018

Meals on a Boat

Quinoa Salad with spinach, bell peppers & cucumber

Preparing Meals on a Boat

While Scott and I haven’t prepared too many meals lately on the boat, I have put together some of my favorite recipes. These would all be very easy to make and perfect for a day on the water.

Many times, I will prep the meals at home first for a few reasons. If it involves rinsing the ingredient, I don’t like to use the water on the boat. In a pinch, I will use bottled water. While the water is safe to drink, something about a 17 year old water tank, that had been sitting on the hard for two years grosses me out.

Secondly, our galley isn’t that big. It’s perfect for small meals, like breakfast and lunch, but trying to chop a lot of vegetables is cumbersome to me.

Breakfast

Speaking of breakfast, one dish I always make is a frittata. We have an Xpress Redi Set Go Cooker , that works great for frittatas. It’s awesome for toasting bagels, cooking omelets, grilling chicken – you name it! Scott and I love this gadget! And yes, if you click on the link above, you can buy it from us.

One of my favorite frittata recipes to make is my Red Bell Pepper & Onion Frittata, pictured above.

Lunch

Usually after a day of boating, Scott and I like to have a cold salad, especially on a hot day. Normally I make these at home, so they can have time to chill and blend all of the flavors. Plus I don’t have to rinse the quinoa with water on the boat.

My newest two favorites have been my Lemon & Garlic Cousous Salad. I will make a big batch of it and take it to work for a couple of days. It’s so easy too!

My other favorite is fairly similar, which is a Quinoa Salad with Spinach, Cucumbers & Bell Peppers. Both salads hold well for a few days. As you can see, I love to use cucumbers and bell peppers in a lot of my salads for crunch and flavor.

Entertaining for a Crowd & Dinner

One thing I truly enjoy doing, is entertaining family and friends. This past summer, I made a BLT Dip for my family over the July 4th weekend and it got gobbled up! It tastes exactly like a BLT and it feeds a crowd.

When it comes to having people over for dinner, I like to prepare fairly easy meals. This way I can spend more time with them, versus in the kitchen. For a pasta recipe, one of my favorites is Chicken Pasta Primavera with Spring Vegetables. It’s hearty and delicious.

For a more elegant meal, I typically will make a seafood dish. I recently made Cod with Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic Sauce and it was amazing. Even if you are not a fan of cooked tomatoes, you have to try this. You can serve it with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles.

For more tasty ideas, be sure to visit our RECIPE page. I try to share a new recipe every few weeks. It’s been hard this summer, as it’s been a bit too hot to cook. But there will be plenty more on the way! Stay tuned!

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube @BoatingJourney

Cheers, Ally

#BoatingJourney #KokomoSeattle #GalleyRecipes

January 10, 2018

Fletcher Woodworks Gift Items

Fletcher Woodworks Cutting Boards & Utensils

This past Christmas my brother in-law, Kurt gave us some great gifts from his Fletcher Woodworks business. If you recall, Kurt has helped us out tremendously on the boat, including helping us dock on our first day. He is also a very talented woodworker!

We have a joke in our family that if you want him to design cabinets or counters for you, be patient because he has to grow the tree first. After Kurt retired from the Washington State Ferry system, he started this business with his two sons, Chris and Spencer. Everything they make is handmade with custom wood and gorgeous!

Cutting Boards

This year Kurt gave us a Birdseye Maple cutting board and honestly this picture doesn’t do it justice. You have to see it up close.

Here’s a close-up of the grain:

Cheese Knives & Spatulas

In addition to the cutting board, Kurt also gave us four utensils. The cheese knife is displayed above on the cutting board. The utensils are made out of Leopard wood, also known as Lace wood. The knife has a very sharp edge on it too.

I know what you are thinking……these are way too nice to actually use! However, they are designed to be used regularly. They also have a wood finish that is food safe to use on the cutting board and utensils. Fletcher wood finish is made of organic beeswax and organic flaxseed oil (linseed oil). They chose this mixture over mineral and other oils because of its food safety, rich color and tougher finish. Flaxseed oil naturally soaks into the wood pores and polymerizes with time to form a stronger finish.

Fletcher Name

So you are probably assuming that Kurt’s last name is Fletcher, but in fact it’s not. My sister and her husband live in Ballard and in a quaint neighborhood (one street) called “Fletcher’s Village”. This quaint street has a handful of Storybook Tudor homes that were built in the 1930’s, featuring European style homes with clinker brick & stone work exteriors. As you enter the village, there is a big wooden sign over the street for “Fletcher’s Village”. Now you know where the name comes from!

Fletcher Woodworks On-line Store

Fletcher Woodworks has an on-line store with all of their products available. These are locally handcrafted items from the Pacific Northwest and are great gift items. Of course they would go perfectly on a boat, but also serve great in any kitchen. So the next time you are looking for that unique gift, remember Fletcher Woodworks handcrafted gift items. Check out their website and on-line store at www.FletcherWoodworks.com.

Stay tuned for the end of the month, as we are heading to the Seattle Boat Show! We plan on staying on the boat that weekend for our first winter stay over, so we’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Cheers! Scott & Ally

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

November 6, 2017August 15, 2018

Boating Must Haves

It’s been six months – what are our boating must haves now?

When Scott and I started shopping for our boat, we were still trying to figure out what type of boat to buy. At that time, we didn’t really think too much about what we “had to have” on the boat, other than a few basics (head, bed, etc). Since we took possession of our Bayliner Ciera 3055, Kokomo in May 2017 we have slept on the boat 27 nights or almost a full month. This has certainly given us some perspective on life living aboard a boat.

Currently our plan is to sell this boat next Spring and upgrade to a larger boat. What size you ask? We haven’t decided that yet. Scott and I have talked about finally selling our home and moving onto a live aboard, but that’s a big jump. That boat would have to be at least 48′ for us to live on it.

Boat Must Haves

What we do know now that we have spent time on our current boat, are the things we wish we had. When you are home, you take for granted simple things such as using the toilet, washing dishes, getting a glass of water, etc. Think about the things you do the most at home and see if those are also important to you if you spent any time on a boat.

This Bayliner Ciera 3055 is perfect for a long weekend or short vacations, but it’s not designed to be lived on. I consider it an upgraded camping experience.

Toilet

First off, let’s address the topic of the toilet. Our boat has a brand new Thetford toilet, but it’s a manual hand pump and the first weekend we were on it, someone clogged it. After that, a rule was created, which was that no toilet paper can go in the toilet. This obviously is not a rule we like. Scott and I want the comforts of home, so a dependable toilet will be on the list.

At each boat show, we have talked to numerous sanitation suppliers. For toilets, your choices are a manual, electric or vacuum flush. Right now we are leaning towards an efficient vacuum flush toilet (one that doesn’t use too much water). Top brands on our list right now are VacuFlush and Lavac. Our toilet is a salt water toilet. This means that the water comes in from outside when you flush, so you don’t have to worry about using up your fresh water. However, a salt water toilet has more maintenance issues as salt water can calcify inside the plumbing and holding tank. Below is a head on a boat we saw at the boat show – comforts of home.

Water

The fresh water tank on Kokomo holds 30 gallons and the hot water heater holds 6 gallons. This is potable water, but ideally I would like a filter for the water too. Remember, our toilet is using seawater, so that is not a factor in our water usage. But you would be amazed as to how much water you go through when washing hands (often), doing dishes and filling up dog bowls. Kokomo has three fresh water faucets and we use them frequently. If we spend three days on the boat, we need to fill up our tank by the third day.

What’s the solution to this? Install a water maker. These systems use reverse osmosis to convert seawater to fresh water. They are a bit expensive, but definitely worth the price. When we fill up our fresh water tanks with water, we use a special anti-bacterial ZERO-G Hose. The fresh water input in located on the starboard side. Our boat is docked on the port side, so to do this, we have to hang over the edge with the hose to fill it. It’s a pain in the butt.

Having a water maker on board, gives us a number of benefits that also make life easier.

Shower

Our boat has a shower and the curtain does separate it from the toilet area, but honestly everything still would get wet. In addition, with only a 6 gallon hot water tank and a 30 gallon fresh water tank, we would run out of water pretty fast. Having a water maker on board with a larger hot water tank, would alleviate that issue. Looking at larger boats at shows, we also want a separate shower stall.

Ice Maker

At Elliott Bay Marina, we have a fully stocked store at the fuel dock. In fact, they have a great selection of wine and beer. However, the store is six docks away and it’s a long walk. Every time we stay on boat, we have to go get ice as our freezer is very small. Friends of ours converted their outdoor faucet in the cockpit to an ice maker. Who needs three sinks anyways. Great idea!

Comfortable Bed

Like I said earlier, our boat is perfect for a long weekend as it’s an upgraded camping trip. But it’s not meant to be lived on. At home we have an expensive mattress which is very comfortable. Moving on board we would definitely invest in a high quality comfortable mattress. There are many custom mattress companies out there. Then there is also a company called Froli Sleep Systems. They make a unique spring type of foundation that goes under your mattress for support and circulation. You would use this system in addition to a high quality mattress.

Oven

Lastly, we would have to have some type of oven on board. Many boats come with a microwave / convection oven combo. Ideally, since I love to cook, I would love to have a stand alone oven. Here are some dream ovens we have seen on boats.

I could live on this boat! This is bigger than my kitchen at home!

Of course, we will not be able to have any of these galleys or ovens in our price range, but a girl can dream! What will the galley most likely look like? Probably like these below.

If you have any “must haves” not on this list, please share with us. Just like a home, we can always add items, but it would be great to find one with everything we want.

Stay tuned for our next blog about philanthropic boating organizations. Cheers, Scott and Ally #BoatingJourney

October 7, 2017October 7, 2017

Boating Desserts

Boating desserts are difficult to prep on a boat

When you are prepping dinner in a small galley, the last thing you have time for is making dessert. On top of that, I’m not much of a dessert eater, but Scott is. This summer, I decided to keep dessert simple and easy.

Typically we are enjoying a great bottle or two of red wine relaxing on the deck.

Red Wine & Chocolate

If you love red wine, be sure to pick up a bottle of Cab from SuLei Cellars out of Walla Walla. They are one of our favorite boutique wineries! Since dark chocolate goes well with red wine, I decided that’s exactly what our desserts would be this summer! Pick up your favorite chocolate bar or bark and pair it with your favorite wine! Here are our picks: Thindulgent, Roca Thins, Alter Eco, Green & Black’s & Divine.

Next time you are entertaining or just relaxing on your boat, grab your favorite bottle of wine & chocolate and you’re all set! Have a great weekend! Cheers, Scott & Ally

September 12, 2017November 5, 2017

New Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

Every Boater Needs Kitchen Gadgets

When you are occupying a small space on a boat, then kitchen gadgets come in handy. The first weekend Scott and I stayed on our boat Kokomo, we quickly learned that preparing food isn’t that easy.

I had bought a cutting board and a knife set, but the cutting board is either too small or it slides around. The knives got dull very fast too.

Knife Sharpener

Soon I was looking for kitchen gadgets to help solve this problem. Since I don’t mind chopping my own ingredients, I first looked for a knife sharpener. The one we have at home is electric and big – that won’t work on a boat. Then I found, this portable KitchenIQ Knife Sharpener on Amazon for only $5.99! Plus it had over 8100 great reviews! Guess what? We love it too. It’s small and fits perfect in the galley utensil draw.

However, when you are using a small cutting board, it’s difficult to chop a large quantity of ingredients as they tend to fall off and land on the floor. That’s when this awesome gadget comes into play!

Onion (and other veggies) Chopper

The Vidalia Vegetable Chopper by Müeller chops way more than just onions! It has two chopping sizes (1/4″ dice & 1/2″ dice) and it keeps all of your ingredients inside the container! It’s so easy and it works great! I ordered this on Amazon too for just $19.99

I do recommend putting round objects, like onions, tomatoes round side down on the blades for best results.

Here’s a quick video demonstration:

Order your Chopper Here!

Name: Sweet Chopped Kale Salad with Roasted Beets
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 10 oz bag Taylor Farms Sweet Kale Chopped Salad Kit; .25 cup chopped red onion; .50 cup sliced & peeled English cucumber; 3 small roasted beets, sliced & cut in half (find these in the produce section already roasted)

Cheese Graters

This gadget does way more than grate cheese. It also slices and juliennes veggies. After you are done, simply store all of the graters and slicers inside the entire kit! This is one of my favorite kitchen tools for the boat!

As I continue to find items that work great on the boat, I will be sure to share them with you in our blog. A few items we have already mentioned that we use regularly is our Xpress Redi Set Go Oven (which is now called Xpress Platinum Countertop Cooker) and our Magma Grill.

Cheers! Ally

This post may contain affiliate links for products I mention.

August 23, 2017October 18, 2017

A Quick Boat Trip to Kingston – Boating Journey

Visiting Kingston, a small quaint town just across from Edmonds & NW from Seattle

Visiting Kingston, which is in the state of Washington, not the UK. Why would I even mention that? That’s because as I was trying to find the phone number for the Port of Kingston Marina on google as we were approaching the port and the only one that kept popping up was in the UK! Luckily there’s a great app that we used all summer, DockWa that is like open table, but it’s for dock reservations! Super easy to use.

Scott and I planned a boating weekend with our close friend Randy and his girlfriend Meghann on our boat Kokomo. Originally, we were going to do a two night trip going to Edmonds first then Kingston. Unfortunately, like many marinas in the summer time, Edmonds was completely booked by a yacht club. Instead, we decided to stay Friday night at our marina, do a cocktail cruise and then have dinner in Ballard.

We spent an hour before their arrival prepping the boat, making the beds and gassing up. One thing to remember in Washington when getting gas for your vessel is to save your receipts! You pay road tax when you buy gas, but the state will reimburse you for that tax, since you are not driving on roads. Here’s the scoop on Fuel Tax Refunds.

Seattle activities

This happened to be Hempfest in Seattle this weekend, which is held at the Seattle Sculpture Park along the waterfront. This also brought out all kinds of fun people, including these rafting on large ruby ducky’s.

While we attempted to enjoy some appetizers and a cocktail overlooking Downtown Seattle, it was nearly impossible as the wakes from other boats were sloshing us all over the place. I don’t recommend trying this!

Soon we turned back to our marina and the clouds were beginning to roll in. What a cool sunset and view they created.

After we provisioned the boat, the four of us headed into Ballard for dinner.

An evening in Ballard

We made reservations at Moshi Moshi Sushi and the food was fantastic! It’s located on Ballard Avenue in the heart of all things exciting! I used to live in Ballard from 1999 to 2002. Back then, there were only a handful of restaurants on Ballard Avenue. Now there is one every fifty feet it seems.

The four of us finished the night at one of our favorite old time stomping grounds, The Conor Byrne Irish Pub. They have live music and the bar is very old. It was so fun going back and revisiting an old fav.

Off to visit Kingston!

Since we couldn’t check into Kingston until 1pm, we had decided to wait until the afternoon to leave. Meghan and Randy arrived to our doc about 2pm and we set off soon after.

Soon after this video, we thought we were having engine trouble. We stopped, checked the props, all was good. We think the issue was we were having trouble getting the boat to plane out and it was struggling a bit. After trying again, we were off and running!

The conditions were warm and sunny with winds coming from NNW at about 9mph. There were lots of sail boats taking advantage of the winds!

Turns out that Kingston is only about 12 nautical miles from Elliott Bay, so we arrived in about 30 minutes! The marina is located around the corner from the Mukilteo-Kingston Ferry Dock.

We finally arrived (after just 30 minutes!)

Our friends Cory and Stacy were already at the marina on their boat Bold Adventure, a 37′ Larson. They were in slip 16 and we were in 18. So that worked out perfect for them to meet us. It is a bit tricky entering the marina, because you don’t know at first which side of the dock to be on, but we figured it out quickly that the even numbered slips were on the inside.

As we approached our slip, we soon realized that the bow line was NOT THERE! What the?? Well, it was, but it had come loose from the railing and we obviously dragged it all the way from Seattle! That line could have gotten caught up in our prop. Luckily, it was in perfect shape, so no damage done (or so we hope!)

We were ready to relax and have a beer now with Cory and Stacy.

The marina is quiet and the staff was super friendly. After lunch, we decided to explore the town.

Visiting Kingston is an easy two block walk

Kingston is not very big. It has a few restaurants and shops along the main road, which leads to the ferry terminal. We stopped into a d’Vine wine bar and they were doing a wine tasting! Imagine that. LOL. We met with the owner and she was super friendly and it was fun to talk shop with her. The wines were from Long Cellars out of Woodinville and they were fantastic! We bought a bottle of the Faiken Red.

Just around the corner from d’Vine is Sweet Life Cakery and they specialize in cupcakes. Scott was in heaven and bought a half a dozen cupcakes, including a chocolate salted caramel cupcake. I just now realized that I should have taken a photo of the cupcakes! Instead I was too excited about the “giant chair” right outside. In fact, these chairs are all over town! Here’s the back story about them.

Summer Concerts in the Cove

All summer long, Kingston has free concerts at the marina park which are sponsored by the Kingston Chamber of Commerce. Saturday night, they had Sister Mercy a rhythm and blues band. They were fantastic! We brought a picnic dinner and sat on the lawn for a perfect evening!

Randy was generous to bring two phenomenal bottles of wine, including the Caymus Select Cab and the Five Star Cellars Merlot. Both of which, were stunning wines and a true treat!

The marina is very quiet and we couldn’t have asked for a better night to relax and catch up with good friends.

The next morning, I made another frittata in my Good Times Xpress Redi Set Go Cooker! oven. I can’t imagine not having this on the boat! If you don’t have one, go get one today! I use it regularly to make omelets, frittatas and toast bagels when we are on the boat. There are tons of recipes that come with it too!

Uh Ho, Not again!

We planned to leave Kingston soon after breakfast as we knew we had a couple of hours of cleaning to do when we returned. Unfortunately, when we started the port side engine we heard a terrible sound so we shut the engine off. Uh ho! Not again. Scott opened the engine door and we tried starting it again. Watching it, the serpentine belt was not moving. Great. This was the same engine we had to replace the power steering pump on during our trip to the San Juan Islands. Scott determined that the belt just wasn’t tight enough, so after a few adjustments we gave it another shot and Voila! We were in business once again. Whew!

We left Kingston during low tide and the channel was about 11 feet deep. However, some folks in the bay were not so lucky and were grounded until high tide came back.

Now that we know Kingston is so close to Seattle, we’ll plan a few more trips to visit Kingston.

Once back at Elliott Bay, we spent a couple of hours cleaning the inside and out. It is amazing how nice it looks when it is cleaned! As I was cleaning the back end, I had my sunglasses on my head and suddenly they fell off into the darkness of the marina below. Always an adventure when we are on #KokomoSeattle

Lessons learned on this trip:

Make sure all of your lines are secured, even after you leave the marina
Don’t wear your sunglasses on your head when working on your boat

August 4, 2017April 4, 2018

Prepping dinner in a small galley

Galleys are much smaller than kitchens!

Galleys are kitchens on a boat. One thing you will learn very quickly on a boat our size, is that there is NOT a lot of room to make any kind of gourmet meals. I love to cook and entertain, and I couldn’t wait to do that on our boat. Soon I realized things had to be very simple and pre-planned.
This is our “Kitchen”, which has a microwave, two burner stove top and fridge.

We have some cupboards and three drawers for utensils.

With limited space, I’m always looking for efficient kitchen gadgets to make prepping dinner easier. One of my all-time favorite tools is my Mueller Onion Chopper . It’s fast, no mess and easy cleanup! Here’s a quick demo:

If you want to try it out yourself – ORDER YOUR CHOPPER HERE!

Local Shopping

Elliott Bay Marina, is located just down the road from Whole Foods and Wild Salmon Seafood Market at Fisherman’s terminal (great FRESH fish daily!)

We bought a Magma Cabo Adventurer Series Charcoal Grill that fits perfectly on the side of the boat and I’m amazed as to how much food we can cook on it.

Last week we bought “marbled salmon“, which I had never had before from Wild Salmon and it was fantastic! Because it has a higher oil factor, it stays moist when you grill it. The grill does have larger grates, so we typically will use our lava stone or foil to keep things cleaner.

Since we are buying super fresh fish, you only need a few spices on hand. We simply used garlic salt, Italian seasoning and pepper with some olive oil for this salmon.

Pair it with a pasta and green salad, which you can make ahead and you have the perfect dinner for hot weather!

Many weekends, we’ll go down and stay on the boat on Fridays. Since we work on Fridays, we don’t have time to prep for dinner. That’s when we will swing by Alberton’s grocery store (they have the best fried chicken) and buy their six piece chicken dinner with the side dishes. It transports easy and there’s no cleanup!

If you are searching for ideas, two of my favorite cookbooks for the galley are The One-Pan Galley Gourmet : Simple Cooking on Boats and Six Ingredients or Less. Simple and perfect for a boat!

One of my favorite side dishes to make is our Corn, Tomato & Avocado salad. It’s easy to prep and very tasty!

When in doubt and it’s a hot day, you can always fall back on a fresh tomato salad with mozzarella! It only has four ingredients and tons of flavor!

Desserts

For those who know me well, I personally don’t eat desserts, nor do I make them. But when you are entertaining guests, dessert is a must. With limited fridge space and no oven, what’s a good idea for dessert? I love to serve different kinds of chocolates. Super easy and delicious!

Scott and I haven’t been entertaining that much this summer on the boat, since we have such a great restaurant at the marina, Maggie Bluffs. But as Fall arrives, we’ll be spending more time on it and we’ll share some of the great recipes with you!

Cheers, Scott and Ally #Kokomo

Recipes

Sweet Chopped Kale Salad with Roasted Beets Yum

The sweetness of the poppy seed dressing combined with tangy roasted beets is a perfect salad for summer time!

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

American

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

0 minutes

Passive Time

0 hour

Servings

people

Ingredients

10 oz bag Taylor Farms Sweet Kale Chopped Salad Kit
.25 cup chopped red onion
.50 cup sliced & peeled English cucumber
3 small roasted beets, sliced & cut in half find these in the produce section already roasted

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

American

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

0 minutes

Passive Time

0 hour

Servings

people

Ingredients

10 oz bag Taylor Farms Sweet Kale Chopped Salad Kit
.25 cup chopped red onion
.50 cup sliced & peeled English cucumber
3 small roasted beets, sliced & cut in half find these in the produce section already roasted

Instructions

Mix all of the ingredients today with the dried cranberries and poppy seed dressing the salad kit comes with. Serve immediately.

Share this Recipe

Pesto Pasta Salad Yum

This pasta salad can be served chilled or at room temperature and is perfect for a hot summer day.

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Passive Time

0 hour

Servings

people

Ingredients

1 16 oz box pasta - cooked follow cooking directions on the box
.25 cup prepared pesto sauce use more as needed
.25 cup chopped red bell pepper
.25 cup chopped red onion
1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1 cup sliced & peeled English cucumber
.25 cup grated parmesan cheese

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Passive Time

0 hour

Servings

people

Ingredients

1 16 oz box pasta - cooked follow cooking directions on the box
.25 cup prepared pesto sauce use more as needed
.25 cup chopped red bell pepper
.25 cup chopped red onion
1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1 cup sliced & peeled English cucumber
.25 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve chilled or at room temperature. We transferred the pasta salad to a ziplock bag for easy storage in our small fridge and it kept perfect for the next two days!

Share this Recipe

Heirloom Cherry Tomato Salad Yum

This heirloom tomato summer salad only uses four ingredients and is perfect for boating!

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

0 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

Heirloom Tomato Salad

1 16.5oz container heirloom cherry tomatoes sliced in half
4 oz fresh mozzarella bocconcini balls - bite size or you can use regular balls and cut them into bite size pieces
.25 cup fresh basil, chopped
.25 cup red wine vinaigrette dressing

Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

0 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

Heirloom Tomato Salad

1 16.5oz container heirloom cherry tomatoes sliced in half
4 oz fresh mozzarella bocconcini balls - bite size or you can use regular balls and cut them into bite size pieces
.25 cup fresh basil, chopped
.25 cup red wine vinaigrette dressing

Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

Instructions

Mix and blend all of the vinaigrette dressing. Then add 1/4 cup of the dressing to salad. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Let sit for 15 minutes and serve at room temperature.

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June 30, 2017October 10, 2017

Enjoying the weekend in Seattle!

Weekend on the Boat in Seattle!

The weather last weekend was HOT HOT HOT and there’s no better place to be than on the water! We stayed on the boat Friday and Saturday night and ended up entertaining friends all weekend. Friday night, Scott’s old friend Erin came down for dinner. It was great to show her the marina and the boat. One thing she said to us was “I’m so happy to see that you guys follow your dreams. You had a dream to own a business, you did that. You have always wanted a boat, and here you are.” It was nice to actually hear someone say that to us.

It’s June 23rd and we still do not have a “slip mate”. Our biggest challenge with having a mate, will be when we dock, as we have been running into the “imaginary boat”. LOL The winds were very strong both Friday and Saturday coming from the north. While it was great to help us stay cool, the marina was also much noisier with the sail boat riggings clanging back and forth.

Also, the 159′ S/V Georgia is still there and it is stunning at night, as the pictures show.

Elliott Bay Marina really is such a beautiful place to be during calm warm nights.

Even Kokomo looks awesome at night!

Friday night they had a wedding up at the Admiral’s House and we could hear the music all the way from our dock. It didn’t bother us, but we were amazed as to how far noise travels.

Sitting in the dark at the marina is also so incredibly relaxing – it’s a great way to end a hectic work week. We bought Flameless Candles for more ambiance and I love them!

Saturday, we went to the pump out station all by ourselves! LOL We did find out that the marina will come by and pump out your waste every Tuesday if you want and they charge $20. But it was super easy and the guys at the dock helped us.

I spent part of the afternoon relaxing and reading one of my favorite boating magazines, Cruising Outpost in the sun while sitting on the bow. It just doesn’t get much better than that!

That night we had our friends Nick and Rhonda on the boat for dinner. It was nice to catch up and show them how great the marina is. I don’t think we can take enough photos to do it justice!

Entertaining on Kokomo at Elliott Bay is certainly easy with the beauty of the atmosphere.

Early Sunday morning Scott is standing in the galley, when he looks out the starboard window and says “Ummm, I see a fender!” What?! What do you mean you see a fender?!!! We both rush up to the deck and sure enough, we HAVE A SLIP MATE! Ugh. So it begins. Luckily it is an aluminum fishing boat and if we were to bump into a boat, it is the best kind. LOL I guess the guy moved it into the slip at midnight! Crazy.

In preparation for a trip we are taking to the San Juan Islands in July with my brother and his wife, we decided to check out all of the storage spaces on the boat! Under the salon cushions we found all kinds of space, where we can put wine, beer and staples. We also found a BRAND NEW Thetford head pump. Score!! These retails for $210. Let’s hope we don’t have to use it, but what a treasure!

Enjoying the weekend during the heat wave

Sunday, June 25th was the HOTTEST day on record for the month of June in history in Seattle! It was the best day to be on the water. Good friends of ours, Tim and Lori joined us, as they used to be boat owners. It was great to have them along and they were so helpful. We traveled over to Alki and then down to Shorewood where they just purchased a home.

Mac isn’t too keen on going fast in the boat and kept crawling up on the seat cushions. I started to worry that he would jump out, so I eventually put him down below.

Notice Scott’s new custom T-Shirt for Kokomo??

Mac, finally relaxing down in the aft berth! Before I took this photo he was sound asleep like a baby!

I drove the boat from Alki down to Shorewood and back to the marina. Now I just have to get docking down. Even though it was the hottest day of the year, when you are going fast on the water, it’s chilly! When we got back into the marina, it was hotter than hell! Amazing the difference in temperature is when you go from one to the other.

When we got back to the marina, Tim suggested that we finally put the dinghy in! Whoa, this is a lot. LOL. The electric winch uses a 12 volt and we don’t have that, so we manually put it in the water and lifted it out. The engine started right away and Tim noticed immediately that the plug wasn’t in. That would have been a disaster!

We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend and we know we have many more to come. The other cool thing about the marina and boat life is all of the sea life we see. When we were out in front of West Seattle we saw dolphins again. It’s been awhile since our seal has visited, but this past weekend we had eagles flying over head, we had tons of minnows and a super cool purple starfish on our dock.

We are planning on staying on the boat the weekend of July 15th to prep it for our trip to the San Juan Islands. So stay tuned for our next blog which will discuss all of our preparations and things we are buying for it.

Cheers! Scott & Ally on M/V Kokomo